Combined cushioning and fastening device for tires.



A. HAUSCHILD.

COMBINED CUSHIONING AND FASTENING'DEVICE FOR TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1916. 1,223,788,

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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A. HAUSCHILD.

COMBINED CUSHIONING AND FASTENING DEVICE FOR TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. 1916.

1,223,78. Patented Apr. 24,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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- ATTY the use, of trucks.

ADELBEBT HAUSCHILD, 0F AKRON, OHIO.

COMBINED CUSHIONING AND FASTENING DEVICE FOR TIRES.

Application filed April 4, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 'I, AnnLmcnT HAUsomLn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in a Combined Cushioningand Fastening De ice for Tires, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a peculiar fas tening device for eti'ectivelysecuring on a wheel center rubber tires which are vulcanized orotherwise fastened to metal bases 0r rims, or reinforced by internalsteel wires. At the same time my fastening device provides a yieldingcushion to absorb the running shocks and jars. My invention is adaptedto enact with the usual wheel center, the inner periphery of the. baseof the tire being larger than the outer periphery of the wheel center,and my locking cushion, located in the intermediate space thus provided,firmly securing the tire to the center without providing any fixed ormetallic con nection between them.

My locking de ice consists of a resilient cushioning ring made of rubberor similar material, which is adapted to be easily put into the annularspace between the wheel center and thc tire base, a pair of pressuredistributing rings (preferably of metal), on opposite sides of the rsilient ring, and means for forcing the pressure distributing ringstoward each other to laterally compress the entire ring and cause it toexpand radially outward and inward, thus binding the tire to the wheelcenter. \Vhile the binding is so effective that no strains incident touse will loosen the tire from the wheel member, atthe. same time theelastic ring allows sufficient upand-down play to give a mate rialcushioning eflect to the wheel.

Practice has demonstrated that my fas-.

tening device is very well adapted to bear heavy loads and to besubjected to the severe driving strains which are incident to There has,heretofore, been considerable ditiiculty in providing a satisfactorywheel having a removable rim or tire adapted for these conditions, asthe usual wedge method of securing removable rims to wheels, heretoforeemployed is not. satisfactory for trucks, where it is important thatthere be nothing to become loose, and the tire must-have a firm ande'l'lectivn Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 241, 15917.

SerialN 88,8521.

supporting seat, and at the same time easy removabi l ity should beprovided.

In my invention, I prefer to draw the metallic pressure distributingrings on the opposite sides of the elastic ring together by means ofbolts which pass through the elastic ring and are suitably secured tothe inner metallic ring and have nuts on their outer ends which areadapted to be turned against the outer ring to compress the intermediatecushioning ring. Inasmuch as the metallic rings have no connection witheither the tire base or the wheel center, and the rubber ring has aplain cylindrical interior and exterior, it follows that my lockingdevice may be used with wheel centers having a cvlindrical exterior andtire bases ha ing a cylindrical interior. Accordingly I can use thestandard wheel centers and the standard tires of the ordinary pressed-0ntype, simply taking a larger size of tire than would normally fit thewheel center, or a smaller size of wheel center than usual for giventire. and placing my locking device between such members.

As the wheels of. the S. A. E. standard vary by two inches difi'ercncein diameter, it follows that the next larger size of tire,

about a given center, leaves an annular space ing ring inwardly.

The metallic rings have slightly smaller radial dimension than therubber ring before it is put in place, so that the inner metal ring,together with the rubber ring. may be conveniently slid across the wheelcenter and within the tire. Then the tightening of the nuts on the outerends of the bolts is all that is necessary to lock the tire to the wheelcenter. Accordingly my fastening device may he kept in stock and sold asa standard article of manufacture comprising an annular rubber ring.metallic rings on the opposite sides thereof, through bolts and nuts,such construction having an inner diameter corresponding toa standardsize of wheel center, and an outer diameter corresponding to the nextlarger size of tire, allowing sufficient margin to enable an easyinstallation. 4

The steel base type of tire has become uniformly recognized as the mosteflicient on the market for trucks, both in reliability and in length ofservice. The only effective way heretofore practised for securing suchtires on the wheel centers has been to make the tire base with an innerperiphery very slightly smaller than the outer periphery of the center,and force the tire on by a powerful hydraulic press. This system hasrequired truck users to send their trucks or wheels for tirereplacements to an efficiently equipped service station, thus entailingmuch i as loss of time while the truck is idle. Notwithstanding thistime-loss, the pressed-on tire has become the standard for heavy trucks,because the wedging devices are not satisfactory for the heavy strainsto which the truck wheels are subjected and frequentlyinterfere with theready removability of the tire. My fastening device, on the contrary,enables the owner of the truck to make his own replacements, at his owngarage, Without delay and without the necessity of removing the wheelsfrom the truck. No expensive apparatus is required. The tire is held asfirmly to the wheel center as if forced on by hydraulic pressure, and,in addition, a very noticeable cushioning effect is obtained.

My invention is clearly illustrated in the drawings hereof, inwhichFigure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel with part of the outerpressure distributing ring broken away to more clearly show thecushioning ring; Fig. 2 is a radial cross section of the outer portionof such wheel before the cushion has been compressed; Fig. 3 is asimilar view after the cushion has been compressed; Fig. 4 is aperspective View of a portion of the outer metallic ring and the boltand nut for drawing it inwardly; Fig. 5 is a perspective View of aportion of an inner metallic ring which may be employed and has onemeans for-securing the bolt to the metallic ring; Fig. 6 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 5, showing a modified means for securing the bolt to theinner ring; Fig. 7 is a perspective of the complete fastening deviceready for installation.

In the drawings, 10 designates a wheel center which is shown as havingsuitable spokes and a fclly 11. This folly may be of metal or wood, asdesired. In the latter instance it is preferably provided with ametallic band or permanent rim- 12, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The outerperiphery of the wheel center or band 12'is a plain cylindrical surface.20 indicates the tire-carrying rim and 21 the rubber tire securedthereto. The inner surface of the rim 20 isa plain cylinder, asindicated at 23, and the edges of this cylindrical. surface curveoutw'ardly and merge with the outer face of side flanges 25, as shown at26.

In the standard pressed-on type of tire,

outer face of the tire-carrying rim within the flanges 25 thereof. Inthis type the outer face is preferably grooved and roughened as shown at28, to enable the rubber to be securely attached to the metal. Othertypes of rubber tires having a cylindrical inner surface or rim may beemployed.

The cushioning ring of my invention is designated 30. It is cylindricalboth interiorly and exteriorly and is of a width approximately equal tothe width of the rim of the wheel center. This ring is preferably ofcomparatively pliable but tough rubber. Before it is compressed to clampthe parts together, it is materially smaller in its radial dimensionthan the distance between the wheel center and tire-carrying rim, as isclearly shown in Fig. 2.

40 and 4-1 indicate the pressure distributing rings lying on oppositesides of the rubber ring, and 50 designates the bolts lying parallelwith the axis of the wheel and extending through the rubber ring andengaged at their inner ends with the ring 4:0

'the rubber is solid and is vulcanized to the and at their outer endsextending through the ring 41 and provided with nuts 51, the turning ofwhich draws the two fastening rings together. This inward movementcompresses the rubber laterally and causes it to expand radially bothinwardly and outwardly, bringing it into the form shown in Fig. 3, inwhich condition it effectively binds the wheel center and tire together.

The inner faces of the rings 10 and ll are preferably chamfered orrounded at the edges of their cushion-engaging faces, as shown at 42, toallow a slight space for the edge portion for the rubber to flow, sothat the expansion thereof is distributed throughout the whole rubberand does not have a tendency to concentrate at the portion adjacent tothe edges.

As shown, the bolts 50 pass freely through openings in the outer ring 41and the nuts 51 may conveniently occupy recesses 44 in the outer face ofthis ring, providing for the reception of a suitable socket wrench forturning the nuts. Two methods of securing the bolt to the inner ring 10are shown. In Fig. 5 the inner ring has threaded openings 45 and thethreaded bolt is screwed into the ring until the shoulder, where thethread joins the'body of the bolt, abuts the inner face of the ring,thus locking the bolts rigidly to the ring. A 'screw driver slot, 53 inthe outer end of the bolt furnishes convenient means for turning it intothis position. In Fig. 6 the bolt 50 is shown as passing through anopening in the ring 40 and receiving on its end a nut 55, which occupiesan annular groove 47 in the outer face of the ring. This groove preventsthe nut rotating, so that the bolt may be turned into it.

Whether the bolt is secured to the inner ring in the manner shown inFig. 5 or that shown in Fig. 6, the bolt, after being put in place, ispreferably stationary, and the compression of the rubber ring iseffected solely by turning the outer nuts 51.

My fastening device is adapted to be placed on the market as a completeselfcontained article of manufacture, comprising the rubber ring 30, themetallic rings 40 and 41, the bolts 50 (threaded into the ring 40 orhaving the nuts 55), and the outer nuts 51, fully assembled as shown inFig. 7 and ready for installation. When sold the rubber of this devicewill be substantially un compressed and the radial dimension of therubber and the rings will be less than the distance between the wheelcenters and tires to be used.

With existing sizes of wheel centers and tires varying by two inches indiameter, the radial dimension across my device will be somewhat lessthan one inch, preferably substantially seven eighths of an inch. Thisallows sufficient clearance for easily shoving the inner fastening ringand the rubber ring into the annular space allowed. At the same time, afew turns of the nuts 51 are sufficient to'compress the rubber rin totake up all the clearance and form an e ective lock. I prefer to soproportion the parts that when the device is locked the outer edges ofthe metallic rings are within the outermost plane of the tire-carryingrim, and are thus protected thereby.

While this fastening device is very simple and may be readily installed,and while a hand wrench for the nuts may furnish suflicient power andforce therefor, I have found by actual practice that the rubber iscompressed so firmly against the wheel center and tire base that itwould require a force greater than that of the ordinary hydraulic pressto separate them. The fastening effectively resists all strainsoccurring in the running of the vehicle and absolutely prevents anydisplacement of the tire. Notwithstanding this firm securing, there is amaterial radial play of the rim on the center as the wheel rotates andthe point of-load-support changes, and experience has demonstrated thatthe cushion thus provided greatly lessens the on the vehicle withcorresponding lengthening of the life thereof, as well as increasing themileage capacity of the tire.

I am aware that it has been proposed, in pleasure cars, to provideflanges on the outer rim or wheel center, or both, and secure suchflange or flanges to a rubber ring, but the metallic connection betweenthe inner or outer rim and the fastening device has materiallyinterfered with any cushioning effect of the rubber ring. Moreover, suchwheels with which I am familiar, have not allowed the easy installationand removal of the fastening device, which is present in my invention,nor have they provided a fastening device which may be placed on themarket as a self-contained article of manufacture, ready for use betweenwheel centers and tires of usual shapes or standard sizes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a self-contained cushioning andfastening device independent of but adapted for use between a wheelcenter and tire-carrying rim, comprising an intermediate rubber cushion,pressure distributing rings engaging the opposite sides thereof, therubber cushion extending continuously from one of said rings to theother, means extending through said cushion and engaging said pressuredistributing rings adapted to draw said pressure distributing ringstoward each other and thereby compress the intermediate cushion toexerta radial expansive action simultaneously inwardly and outwardlybetween the wheel center and the tire-carrying rim 'while the pressuredistributing rings are out of contact with the wheel center andtire-carrying rim, thereby obviating any rigid connection between thewheel and tire and maintaining an unobstructed cushion effect.

' 2. The combination with a wheel center having a cylindrical exteriorand a tire carrying rim having a cylindrical interior, the diameter ofsaid interior being materially greater than the exterior diameter of thewheel center, and a self-contained cushioning and fastening deviceadapted to be slid laterally into place between the wheel center andrimand comprising a laterally continuous rubber cushion, pressuredistributing rings on opposite sides of said cushion, at least one ofsuch rings having a less radial dimension than the radial distanceacross the annular space between the wheel center and rim, and meansadapted to force said pressure distributing rings toward each othertocompress the cushion laterally and cause it to expand radially inwardlyand outwardly while the pressure distributing rings remain out ofcontact with both the wheel center and the rim and therefore do notinterfere with the free movement'of the cushion.

3. A self-contained cushioning and fas tening device for securing a tireto a wheel center and allowing its ready removal therefrom comprising anelastic cushion in the form of a ring of rubber having a cylindricalinner and outer periphery and adapted to stand between the "wheel centerand tire,

pressure distributing rings engaging the opposite sides of the elasticring, at least one of said pressure distributing rings being not,

center and tire, bolts passing through the elastic ring in a positionparallel to the axis of the wheel, means for securing said bolts to oneof the pressure distributing rings, and nuts screwing. onto the otherends of said bolts and bearing against the outer face of the otherpressure distributing ring.

4. The combination of a wheel center, a

signature.

tire surrounding the same, a laterally continuous cushionin'g memberadapted to stand between the wheel center and tire, a pair of thecushion-engaging face beveled or reduced and means for forcing saidrings to gether to expand the cushioning member inwardly and outwardly.

In testimony whereof, I

ADELBERT HAUSCHILD.

hereunto afiix my I i

